Climate strike: UK school pupils take part in call for urgent action

The climate change strikers have found an unusual source of support: Conservative MPs who have issued comments applauding those who took time off school or college to join the protests.

They include Claire Perry, the energy minister, who said: “I’m incredibly proud of young people who feel strongly that we need to take action.” She was joined by the former higher education minister Sam Gyimah, who tweeted approvingly: “Best to see this as an applied citizenship lesson on one day of the year.”

Meanwhile, Richard Benyon, the MP for Newbury, met a group of strikers at his office in the town. “Great to chat with young people so passionate about #climatechange. Glad to be able to talk of UK’s world-leading achievements in reducing [greenhouse gas] emissions and commitments to ocean protection and end[ing] coal power generation,” he later tweeted.

Among the homemade signs on display in Newbury was one reading: “I’ll focus on my A-levels when you focus on the sea levels.”

But the official position from the Department for Education was unchanged.

“I want young people to be engaged in key issues affecting them and involving themselves in causes they care about. But let me be clear – missing class won’t do a thing to help the environment. All they will do is create extra work for teachers,” said Damian Hinds, the education secretary.

“This is ultimately a matter for headteachers to consider, but I’ve repeatedly said I don’t want teachers being burdened with extra and unnecessary workload, and that’s exactly what these strikes would lead to.”

Only a small proportion of the UK’s 8 million school pupils are likely to have taken part in today’s action, although some schools allowed pupils to join in the protests if accompanied by parents or given written permission.

While the Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman, Layla Moran, a former teacher, joined a protest in Oxford, the shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, was more nuanced in her support: “I’m inspired by the many young people who want to support the #schoolstrike4climate movement, but I hope it can evolve so we can build on its success without the loss of time in the classroom.”

School students who spoke to the New Scientist during the protests in London said the media had to share some of the blame for the global failure to tackle climate change.

Eddy Barrow, 15, of Elmgreen school in Tulse Hill, south London, told the magazine: “Climate change is a big problem that is being ignored by mainstream media. The MPs in parliament are not doing much. There will be rising sea levels, no more Antarctica, the climate will be destroyed. Loads of terrible things.”

The youngest protester to whom the New Scientist spoke was an eight-year-old boy with his mother.

He was carrying a banner stating: “Be cool, be green, not a dinosaur.” When he was asked what he thought the world would be like when he was older, he replied: “Burning.”

Also in Oxford, Windmill primary school has embraced today’s climate strikes by holding a “day of learning” about global warming.

A video of Greta Thunberg speaking at last year’s UN climate change conference has proved popular with pupils, who are understandably concerned about the impact of climate change on their lives.

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Who is Greta Thunberg?

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'Never too small to make a difference'

In August 2018 Thunberg began a solo climate protest by striking from school in Sweden when aged 15. She has since been joined by tens of thousands of school and university students in Australia, Belgium, Germany, the United States, Japan and more than a dozen other countries.

'Irresponsible children'

Speaking at the United Nations climate conference in December 2018, she berated world leaders for behaving like irresponsible children. And in January 2019 she rounded on the global business elite in Davos: “Some people, some companies, some decision-makers in particular, have known exactly what priceless values they have been sacrificing to continue making unimaginable amounts of money. And I think many of you here today belong to that group of people.”

Inspiration

Veteran climate campaigners are astonished by what has been achieved in such a short time. Thunberg has described the rapid spread of school strikes for climate around the world as amazing. “It proves you are never too small to make a difference,” she said. Her protests were inspired by US students who staged walk-outs to demand better gun controls in the wake of multiple school shootings.

Family

Her mother, Malena Ernman, has given up her international career as an opera singer because of the climate effects of aviation. Her father is actor Svante Thunber. Greta has Asperger’s syndrome, which in the past has affected her health, he says. She sees her condition not as a disability but as a gift which has helped open her eyes to the climate crisis.

Photograph: Michael Campanella/CampanellaFoto

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Pupils made banners with slogans including “Save the planet” and “There’s no planet B”, and are holding a picket line outside the school gates during the day, volubly encouraging parents – and passersby – to do more to tackle global warming.

Forty Windmill pupils also travelled into Oxford to take part in this morning’s protests. But rather than bunking off, these primary schoolchildren were supervised by their headteacher, Lynn Knapp, and a group of parents.

Oxford was among other cities that had large turnouts today. Thousands gathered in Bonn Square, the Oxford Mail reports.

Among them were students from Lord Williams’s school in Thame, who wrote an open letter to their MP, John Howell, stating: “Rather than leaving our generation in a better place, the UK government has demonstrated an utter lack of impetus, energy or enthusiasm in tackling the greatest threat to our planet’s future.

“This shortsightedness cannot continue. We urge you to consider and act upon this letter.”

Some schools were more explicit than others when it came to supporting today’s strikes.

In Sheffield, however, the city’s mayor has been promising to help strikers who get into trouble for not being in class.

🚀MΛG!D (@MagicMagid)

To all students in Sheffield! If any of your teachers threaten you with some sort of action or give you any hassle for going on strike. Let me know & I'll have a word, even if I have to come into your school!

In Manchester, Poppy Noor reports that lots of students are saying they have been threatened with everything from unauthorised absences to suspensions today, but they think their futures are worth the risk.

Among others she spoke to, there has been criticism of the government.

Poppy Noor (@PoppyNoor)

Imogen Taylor, 15, is striking because she has no faith in the government

“We’re fulfilling the role of the government right now. We’re acting like adults and they’re acting like children. The only way we can make our futures brighter is by standing together. pic.twitter.com/2H0kmG9bF3

Molly Pugh, 14 is striking because she wants to be alive to see her twenties:“It’s been estimated that there’s 12 years left until complete disaster. We’d be in our early twenties - That’s some adults best years of our lives and we might not get to have that.” pic.twitter.com/3Kswb24GZg

The UN has yet to put out an official announcement about Anderson, but Solheim has already tweeted.

Erik Solheim (@ErikSolheim)

My warmest congatulations to Inger Andersen as new Executive Director of UN Environment!👍

Inger brings both a lot of passion for Mother Earth and deep understanding of science and political processes. I am very much looking forward to working with her and supporting her! pic.twitter.com/Rkw1t2gKxk

New UN environment chief appointed - reports

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has picked the Danish economist and environmentalist Inger Andersen to be the new UN environment chief, turning the page on a scandal over expenses that rocked the UN agency.

That is according to a letter seen by Agence France-Presse. Andersen, who heads the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is to succeed Erik Solheim of Norway, who resigned in November following an outcry over his travel expenses.

A draft internal UN audit leaked to the Guardian in September found Solheim had spent almost $500,000 (£390,000) on air travel and hotels in 22 months, and was away 80% of the time. The audit said this was a “reputation risk” for an organisation dedicated to fighting climate change.

The UN deputy secretary general, Amina Mohammed, told a meeting of ambassadors on Thursday that Guterres had chosen Andersen as his nominee.

Her nomination as head of the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme will be submitted to the general assembly for approval.

Andersen has also served as the World Bank vice-president for the Middle East and North Africa and worked at the UN for 15 years on water and environment issues.

If confirmed as expected, Andersen will take the helm of Unep following Solheim’s scandal-hit tenure.

Erik Solheim, the then UN environment chief, speaks at the third UN environment assembly in December 2017. Photograph: Natalia Mroz/Unep

In Belfast, a passionate crowd of schoolchildren have demonstrated in the centre of the city.

The small but vocal gathering of primary and secondary pupils made their voices heard as they held up homemade signs and chanted outside city hall.

The environmental protest was one of a series of coordinated events around the UK as young people left their classrooms to make a point on global warming.

Maia Willis-Reddick, a 17-year-old student at Belfast’s Methodist college, said time for action was running out.

“We are protesting against the government for their ignorance of the problem of climate change,” she said.

“We have 12 years before this becomes an international disaster, and before those 12 years, we need drastic action to take place in order to reduce carbon emissions for the entirety of the UK, the entirety of the world.”

Megan Hoyt, from north Belfast, accompanied her four children – Finn, Penny, Aisling and Isabelle – to the protest. “We are here today because we think it’s time for political action,” she said.

Brian Smyth (@Briansmyth99)

The first young people who have walked out of school to protest against climate change and the mess they are inheriting are now at Belfast city hall. May what @GretaThunberg has started continue to grow and build right across the planet. #ClimateStrikepic.twitter.com/1vdWqN2TuN

The former higher education minister Sam Gyimah has joined the surprising number of Conservative MPs who have offered tacit support for pupils joining the strike.

Sam Gyimah MP (@SamGyimah)

Best to see this as an applied citizenship lesson on one day of the year. Climate Change is one of the big issues facing mankind, and we all benefit from having informed, active and engaged citizens. https://t.co/tHS50qIBnv

When another Twitter user told Gyimah “None of those kids will grow up to vote Conservative,” he replied: “That’s not the point. I thought you do things because they are the right thing to do. And then you try to take people along with you. But what would I know.”

The shadow education secretary has a nuanced take – she supports the strike but hopes it can “evolve” to avoid disruption.

Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner)

I’m inspired by the many young people who want to support the #schoolstrike4climate movement but I hope it can evolve so we can build on its success without the loss of time in the classroom. World leaders including our PM must listen & act. 🙌

Hettie Ainsworth, 10, is here with her parents despite not being given an authorised absence from school. She’s here to protest because: “the government isn’t doing enough about it.” She adds: “It’s our future, and if we don’t start paying attention there may not be one.” pic.twitter.com/DhHdh7lywp

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, welcomed the strike earlier today as “a cause for optimism in an often dark world”. She tweeted that the Scottish government was a world leader “but, given the urgency, it is right that we are all challenged to do more and that we hear the voice of the next generation”.

A wave of strikes are taking place today across Scotland, including in the Highland towns of Fort William and Ullapool, as well as Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The Scottish Green party education spokesman, Ross Greer, has written an open letter to education chiefs in Scotland urging them to confirm young people taking part in the strikes will not be punished for protesting.

In the Highlands, the local authority has said the hour’s strike will be recorded as an unauthorised absence, but will incur no punishment.

As well as protesting outside schools, young people have also gathered outside the Holyrood parliament in Edinburgh and outside the City Chambers in Glasgow.

It sounds like things are getting a bit more tense in London. My colleague Sandra Laville says mounted police have now moved right up to the young people sitting in the road and are shouting at them to move. Some of the young people are going – others are staying put for now.

My colleague Sandra Laville says protesters are gathering at the bottom of Whitehall in central London, occupying the road and stopping traffic in all directions.

The police presence has grown and mounted officers have cleared part of upper Whitehall. But the children have regrouped and are now blocking the road outside Westminster. The police are hanging back – for the time being – with legal observers watching proceedings.

Although it is difficult to get a firm idea of numbers when an event is taking place across as many towns and cities as this, organisers are now confident that more than 10,000 young people are taking part in the climate strike.

That is pretty remarkable, according to Jake Woodier of the UK Youth Climate Coalition, which is helping to coordinate the action, who said it would have been happy with a few hundred a couple of weeks ago.

What we’ve witnessed today is thousands upon thousands of students and young people descend on their towns and cities to demonstrate the urgent need for radical climate action.

The size of the Youth Strike 4 Climate is testament to the passion and awareness among young people that we need to fight for a future that simply doesn’t exist because we’ve been betrayed by the inaction of those in positions of power.